Prune picker



Dec. 19 1922. 1,439,266

J. W, SHAW, FILEDRUSEYPAFIFEEZI FIGURE a 5 I 6 FIGURE 1. I

' INVENTOR ATTORNEY inch of the Unite? Cir Joni; a. snaw, OF SAN Jose, oatrronnra, 'a s'sieneaor'onnrrntrfreshers w. sn'nw, or s an JOSE, cnnrr'onnrn. n

Penn's sienna. L

Application Kay 31, 1521. Serial No; 473,761.

To all whom it may concern Be known that 1, Joint it. Snawya citl States, and a residentof Santa Clara County, in the "State of Caliiornia, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Prune Pickers, of which the following is-a specification. lily-invention relates to adevice for pickground and depositingth'ein in a suitable eceptacle.

it is the object e-imy invention to'provide' device of-the characterindicated that prunes from lPivotally mounted on shaft 2 and outsideof revolubly will pick. up "the prunes without injury thereto;, that" will automatically brush the around the tree trunks into the path of travel of the device; andthat will be simple in form and construction and efficient in its practical application. In the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan. viewo-fthe device embodying my invention. v u

Figure 2 isa secti nal view on line 2-2 ofFigurel.

Referring more particularly to the draws ing, 1-1 indicates supportingwheels on a shaft 2 to which are secured handles 3 wheels 11 is afrarne l, the same extending forwardly and provided with a shaft 5 mounted therein. Mountedwithin frame ,4 and securedvto shaft '5 to revolve therewith is a drum 6 fitted with radially r i; clears v volved backwardly througl the medium of -l1ig1-- up prunes froin the surface .of the "gear COIlIlGCtlOIl' 18. Since the flexible poi tion of the brush 1'! extends a distanceinto the space between the aligned trees the prunes'therem are swept-out into the open in front ofzdrum "The hooks 7 areof such a length thatthey readily enter the soft ground and in moving upwardly out of the ground they pickup theprunes and In inov carry them up to stripper'lQ where they are removed ant. deposited'in receptacle 1 1.

it will be observed that in this form of l prune picker the prunes are'picked up without any in ury thereto. WV here prunes are" picked up by means of pins that enter into them or engage their sides sufficiently to raise them from the ground, it is found that-the natural fruit juices are caused to exude from the fruitpthe fruit is impregnated with dirt or sand, and the lye used in processing" is allowed to enter the fruit where it can not'be washed away. Fruit that has been unduly'crushed is difficult and sometimes impossible to dry and consequently-that method occasions much loss.

In pickingup fruit .by means of the device arrangedand interspaced hooks "Z, the said herein described the same is not crushed,

drum being revolved 'backwardly: by. means ofa crossedbelt 8 on pulleys 9 and 10 on shaft? and 5 respectively. "Within frame a and mounted to revolve freely on shaft 5 are narrow wheels 11-11,

to support the drum and maintain hooks 7' in properrelation to the ground. over which they pass.

'At 12 are indicated stripper elements mounted to contact with drum 6 between hooks 7 "and fixedly secured to frame 4. A chute is shown at 13 arrangedon frame a to receive the prunes from stripper 12'and conduct them to a waiting receptacle as at A bracket is shown at 15'inounted on frame 1 and carrying a shaft 16 extending forwardly and outwardly therefrom and fitted with a suitable brush 17. Shaft 16 is geared to shaft 5 as at 18.

effectively over both even and uneven places" I have pivoted the frame 4: on shaft 2 so that wheels 11-11 and drum 6 with hooks 7 may followclosely the inequalities in. the surface of the ground operated over. i s

It is to be understood of course that while I have herein shown and described one embodiment of my invention, changes in form,

construction and method of, operation may.- be made Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

LA prune picker comprising a supporting frame, supporting wheels therefor, a drum mounted between one pairof wheels and revoluble with relation thereto, a pluralj ity ofprune engaging hooks on said drum, a

a plurality of hooks arranged on the drum to engage prunes on the ground and remove the same therefrom, and means for simultaneouslyoperating said wheels and drum in opposite directions. v

3. A prune picker comprising driving wheels, a drum pivotally mounted with relation thereto, means operated by said wheels for rotating said drum in an opposite direction thereto, and a plurality of radially arranged and spaced hooks mounted onsaid drum to remove prunes from the surface of the ground passed over.

4:. In a prune picker, a drum having a plurality of radially arranged and spaced hooks arranged thereon, the said hooks facing in the directionofrotation of the'said drum. n

5. Ina prune plcker, a drum, Wheels supremove the same therefrom, a brush arranged to extend forwardly of and outwardly from said drum, a driving connection between said. brush and drum, and means :ior snnultaneously operating sa id wheels'in one direction and said drum and brush in the opposite direction.

6, A prune picker comprising a revoluble drum, a plurality of hooks radially arranged i thereon, meanstor supporting the drum free of the ground. with said hooks extending below the surface of the ground, means for propelling said drum forward, and means for rotatingsaid drumin a directionoppositeto its direction of movement. f JOHN W. SHAW. v 

